Udimore

Richard Holmes, Beauchamps

As I couldn’t be at the Parish Council Meeting last Wednesday evening, I’m basing the following brief account of some of the proceedings on the draft minutes, which the Parish Clerk has kindly sent me.

An important topic at the meeting was the dangerous junction of B2089 with Dumbwoman’s Lane. Councillors discussed the site meeting there on August 28, which had been fully reported in the September Newsletter circulated to most Udimore residents recently. ESCC had since then agreed to install and pay for three of the remedial measures proposed at the time: SLOW badges to be painted on the road surface, plates to be added to the two junction warning signs to indicate distances and a direction sign to be installed opposite the junction to indicate NARROW LANE. Neither reduction of the speed limit nor double white lines painted on that section of the road surface had met with ESCC approval, on the grounds that neither of them would comply with national traffic control guidance. The chairman was to write to ESCC seeking clarification of the reasons for this decision.

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Several residents had complained about the insufficient notice provided for the recent resurfacing of B2089, and some perceived inadequacies in the operation itself, but councillors agreed to wait for final completion before assessing the quality of the work, which had in any case resulted in a better road surface than for many other roads in the county.

(At the time of writing, much of the line painting has already been completed, much of it at night to reduce disruption of traffic).

As reported in the newsletter, there had been a good response for volunteers to run a Udimore Community Speed Watch. Once a co-ordinator had been appointed, the new group was to be registered with Sussex police so that training could be arranged. Residents should now report to the police (by calling 101 on the phone) any sections of B2089 where excessive speeding is a serious problem, so that the best sites for monitoring traffic speeds can be selected. Please make a note of this!

Please also note that the next meeting of the Parish Council will be on Wednesday November 20, starting at 6.30pm in St Mary’s Community Hall.

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This morning (Friday) do make a point of looking in at the Hall any time between 10am and noon for the annual big Macmillan Coffee Morning. If you have things to bring along for sale, though, the earlier the better (home-baked, home-made or home-grown delicacies/items, and raffle prizes too, please). There should be lots of lovely things to buy, a great social occasion too.

The last four events of this year’s very successful Rye Arts Festival take place today (Friday) and tomorrow. Today at 1pm there’s the second of the lunch-time concerts in the Methodist Church, by the London-based Jacquin Trio (clarinet, viola and piano); this afternoon at 3pm in St Michael’s Church, Playden a programme on birdsong in music by the flautist Stephen Preston; this evening at 7.30pm in the Community Centre, Virginia Ironside talking on “Growing Old Disgracefully”; and tomorrow evening at 7.30pm in Rye Parish Church, a performance of Faure’s beautiful Requiem, and four other works, with professional soprano and baritone soloists, harpist and conductor and a local amateur choir.

On Sunday the celebration of Holy Communion at 8am is the one service in St Mary’s Church.

Also on Sunday morning there’s another of the ever popular Tillingham Valley Rides & Walks. Whether you’re on horseback or on foot, it starts from Parsonage Farm at 9.30, finishing at noon. Refreshments available. This is a fundraising event for Hall funds.

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The monthly meeting of Messy Church is due to take place in the Hall at 4pm on Tuesday, October 1.

Udimore Harvest Festival will be in St Mary’s Church next Sunday, October 6, at 9.30am.

The Harvest Supper will be in the Hall on Friday evening, October 11. More details next week.

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